After the great response to its first denim collection for Spring/Summer 2014 (see - Stoll Trend Collection - 'Denim A Vision') leading flat knitting machine manufacturer Stoll took up the challenge of creating a collection of wintery denim knits for Autumn/Winter 2014/15 and the result is the inspiring Stoll Winter Denim Trend Collection 14/15, which the company has just launched.

“The novelty of the current collection is based on extraordinary pattern techniques but also the combination of seasonal mixed materials, merino wool connects in this context with indigo-dyed cotton,” says Jörg Hartmann, Head of Fashion & Technology at Stoll.

“This is unparalleled in the denim industry. The outcomes are soft and warm fabrics, which still reflect the classic denim look. This approach has not been seen before and opens up a whole new variety of applications,” Hartmann continues.

As Stoll celebrates its 140th anniversary this year, some of the looks represent this event, the company explains. For example Stoll’s Certificate of Incorporation is lasered onto an indigo seamless top and in another example the Stoll devoré-technique is used to illustrate its 140 years of history.

Stoll ADF Technology

Jörg Hartmann, who has recently been made an honorary professor at the Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design, elaborates: “Most of the creations in this collection would not have been possible without the new Stoll ADF technology. To highlight the importance of this technology and how it contributes to the denim industry we have dressed the ADF machine in a new denim look with a unique signature.”

As Stoll says, after making their debut in workwear, movie icons like James Dean gave jeans their popular momentum and nowadays denim has become a nonconformist uniform where either the wearer turns it into an individualistic garment by naturally wearing it out or the industry provides readymade authentic vintage looks which imitate natural wear.  The latter applies when raw denim goes through a process chain of manual mechanical strain or other treatments like washing, staining or bleaching.

Distressed denim looks in knitting

The current Stoll denim collection shows a selection of the almost unlimited potential for distressed denim looks in knitting. Stoll’s cutting edge flat knitting technology offers a wide range of innovation for the design and manufacturing of denim looks and its partnership with Industrias Morera S.A. of Spain and CHT R. Breitlich in Germany have contributed to the success of the pieces made with indigo-dyed cotton.

“As flat knitted fabrics are sensitive to mechanical strain, the traditional method of distressed looks cannot be applied on knits as drop stitches would occur.  Thus, the distressed look of our knits is the result of software programs automating the worn-out look directly on to the machine,” Jörg Hartmann explains.

A visit to Stoll’s Fashion & Technology Center at its Reutlingen headquarters confirms that the company’s denim innovations are something special and not just knits in denim look yarns. Some of the effects on garments are outstanding and the distressed looks which give a worn denim look and feel are very impressive. Highlights are denim garments incorporating felted merino wool in ‘fair isle’ type jacquard patterns and lightweight fine gauge (18E) distressed denim sweaters in beautiful indigo dyed cotton yarns.

Another highlight is a coarse gauge Knit & Wear sweater with borders in 2-colour float jacquard transfer structure, with Intarsia and Fair Isle shaping and worn-out effects achieved by knitting technique. Equally striking is an example of what Hartmann refers to as an ‘English look’ Stoll Multi Gauges fully fashioned checked coat with woven-like equal twill in 2-colour Intarsia float jacquard structure with horizontal mock sewing and vertical ornamental Intarsia-stitch – with shawl collar and cuffs in 2-colour 1x2 rib full cardigan rack stitch with stitch doubling.

Stoll emphasises that its denim innovations are not just about aesthetic design features but that they also contribute to economic, social and ecological advantages, as both water consumption and manual labour can be significantly reduced. The company reports strong overall interest in its denim knits concept and says there are already a number of machines in the market place using the techniques.

Partnering for know-how

Partnering for ‘know-how’ is clearly important here as the new Stoll Denim collection is about much more than knitting. Stoll partner Spain’s Jeanologia for example recently launched its E-Soft nano-foam finishing technology, which softens garments with minimal water usage, lower chemical inputs and almost no residues. The technology can save up to 98% water consumption, 79% in energy usage and 80% in chemical products, used in the softening process, Jeanologia claims.

Stoll has also partnered with Industrias Morera, a Spanish company based 70km north of Barcelona, specialising in the dyeing and finishing of both piece goods and yarns. Other partners include CHT R. Beitlich GMBH, part of the Bezema Group, which has a state of the art modern laundry and garment dyeing works in Tübingen near to Stoll’s headquarters and Prym Fashion, part of the family-owned William Prym Group, which operates in the rapidly changing market of fastening systems and accessories for the garment industries. Both companies have extensive experience in the jeans market.

View the Stoll Winter Denim Trend Collection 14/15

Further reading

Stoll launches new CMS ADF-3 in 140th anniversary year

www.stoll.com